The Torah portion of Re'eh provides two signs whereby we know that an animal may be eaten: it chews its cud and has cloven hooves.
[1]
When a person eats any type of food, be it animal, vegetable or mineral, the food becomes part of his flesh and blood. By eating it, a person fulfills the purpose of its creation: that it be incorporated within man.
There are certain aspects of man that are similar to the mineral, vegetable and animal states.[2] Then there are those components that make man a totally disparate entity. It is these latter elements that make man a unique being - a thinking and speaking being, a medaber.
Just as the mineral, vegetable and animal parts of the world attain their maximum potential when they are incorporated into human beings, so too, within man as well: Those aspects that resemble the mineral, vegetable and animal are not man's purpose; his purpose lies in his unique quality as a medaber. The proper destiny of his other facets is that they come to be encompassed within the attribute of medaber.
Thus physical man's true purpose is to become, as it were, incorporated within Supernal Man.[3] He accomplishes this by fulfilling the mission entrusted to him by Supernal Man. For when one acts as G-d's emissary and fulfills the mission with which He entrusted him, a person becomes, as it were, "similar to Him."[4]
So too, the purpose of the mineral, vegetable and animal in man is that they be elevated and incorporated within Supernal Man. This is accomplished through man's use of them for the purpose for which they were brought into existence.
Man's challenge is thus to take his animalistic inclinations - which by nature draw a person away from spirituality - and incorporate them into holiness.
In order to know whether a person is serving G-d properly and elevating the animal within him, or is being drawn down by it, the Torah gives us two signs.
Man's natural tendency is to serve G-d either with love and kindness, or with awe and severity. When man is able to serve with both attributes, it is an indication that he is serving Him not by force of habit but out of true devotion. Were he serving G-d merely as a matter of routine, it would be impossible to display the same degree of vitality in both kinds of service.
This true service in elevating the animal within man is indicated by cloven hooves. The service is "kosher," since both "sides," the aspect of love and kindness on the one side, as well as the aspect of awe and severity on the other, are divided equally.
But since man is involved with the darkness of physical world, he can never be too sure that he is serving G-d appropriately. Even when he observes that his "hooves are cloven" he cannot rely on a merely cursory examination.
It is therefore necessary that he behave like an animal "chewing its cud," and review and inspect his spiritual service again and again, so as to be sure that he is indeed serving properly, and not favoring one form of service over the other.
In a more general sense, these signs teach us that before engaging in physical activities, we must be sure that we are not doing so simply for the sake of physical pleasure, but for a spiritual end. Moreover, we should check repeatedly to be sure that all our actions are truly performed for the sake of heaven.
Based on Likkutei Sichos, Vol. II, pp. 375-378.
Notes:
- (Back to text) Devarim 14:6.
- (Back to text) Chagigah 16a.
- (Back to text) See Likkutei Sichos, Vol. III, p. 372 and fn. 3 ibid.
- (Back to text) See Likkutei Torah, Vayikra, p. 2a.
The Torah portion Re'eh begins by stating:
[1] "See, I give you today [both] a blessing and a curse. The blessing [will come] if you obey the commandments... The curse [will come] if you disobey the commandments...."
The word "see" indicates that one must examine the matter closely. Why is it necessary for this matter to be scrutinized in order for it to be "seen"? Seemingly, if one thinks even superficially about being blessed for choosing goodness and cursed for choosing evil, one will readily choose to do good.
Additionally, "I give you today" only seems to apply to the blessing. For the term "I" refers to G-d's Essence,[2] a province of pure good, where there is no place for the opposite - "curse" - at all. Moreover, the term "give," as our sages say,[3] indicates the provision of goodness in an unstinting manner. It goes without saying that "curse" is the very antithesis of this.
Also, "you" refers to the Jew's quintessential essence,[4] and every Jew is in essence wholly good.[5] Furthermore, when the Torah uses the term "today," it does so as an indication of immutability.[6] This can apply only to matters of goodness and holiness, which are eternal. For evil is ultimately a "nonentity";[7] in the Time to Come it shall cease, as the verse states:[8] "I shall remove the spirit of impurity from the world."
So how is it that "I give you today" seems to refer to both blessing and curse?
The reason for the "blessing" and "curse" is to allow man to exercise his free choice, as the verse says:[9] "I have placed before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life." In order for man to freely choose to do good, G-d gave unholiness - which in itself has no substance - the ability to oppose holiness.[10]
Since freedom of choice is one of the primary qualities of man's spiritual service,[11] and since man attains all his qualities and levels through service and toil, evil therefore opposes holiness at all levels, to the extent that a person may at any time choose to act in a wrong manner,[12] even if doing so may cost him his life.[13] For all aspects of man are subject to free choice.
In fact, man's animalistic desire may be even stronger than his desire for holiness, inasmuch as a person's G-dly soul (the part that desires holiness) is primarily rational, while the animal soul (the part that desires corporeal matters) is primarily emotional.[14]
Just as this applies to man, so too with regard to G-d, as it were; the potential for evil exists at even the highest levels. The negation of evil is solely a result of G-d's free choice. Thus the verse states:[15] "For Esav is a brother to Yaakov," i.e., manifest good and manifest evil are both equi-distant from Him. It is solely as a result of His free choice that the verse goes on to state: "I love Yaakov and despise Esav."
As a result of this free choice, evil is totally negated and impugned Above. Man, too, by freely choosing to do right and eschew evil, nullifies wickedness below. In addition, the free choice to do good causes there to be revealed within man the attribute that led G-d to freely choose Yaakov over Esav.
In order for man to have free choice, G-d gave unholiness the ability to oppose holiness at the levels of "I," "give you," and "today." But since this ability exists only to provide a basis for choice, evil ceases to exist when man chooses to do good.
Since the entire purpose of evil's creation is to enable man to exercise freedom of choice and be rewarded for his effort and toil, G-d is actually providing goodness in an unstinting manner.
This knowledge - that the entire purpose of unholiness is to be overcome by man, who thereby attains a higher level - makes one's spiritual service markedly easier.[16] Thus, the verse states "see," indicating that a hard look is necessary to realize that the ultimate purpose of evil ("curse") is not to oppose holiness, but to help a person attain an even greater degree of sanctity.
Based on Likkutei Sichos, Vol. IV, pp. 1339-1342.
Notes:
- (Back to text) Devarim 11:26-28.
- (Back to text) Likkutei Torah, Pinchas, p. 80b. See also Zohar, Vol. III, p. 11a, 257b.
- (Back to text) See Bava Basra 53a.
- (Back to text) Likkutei Torah beginning of Re'eh.
- (Back to text) Rambam, Hilchos Geirushin end of ch. 2; Tanya, ch. 24.
- (Back to text) Likkutei Torah, ibid.
- (Back to text) See Toras Shalom, p. 134ff.
- (Back to text) Zechariah 13:2.
- (Back to text) Devarim 30:19.
- (Back to text) See Tanya, ch. 29.
- (Back to text) See Discourse Min HaMeitzar 5660ff.
- (Back to text) Likkutei Torah, Re'eh, p. 25a; Discourse VeAsisa Tzitz 5670.
- (Back to text) Discourse U'Re'isim Oso 5666.
- (Back to text) Ibid.; Ki Sisa 5670.
- (Back to text) Malachi 1:2-3.
- (Back to text) See also Likkutei Sichos, Vol. I, p. 80.
Eikev-Chof Av